From PhysOrg, May 11:
India relaxes environment rules for coal mines, citing heatwave
India has relaxed environmental compliance rules for coal mines seeking to ramp up production as power outages exacerbate a sweltering heatwave, a government notice showed.
Coal makes up more than two-thirds of India's energy needs, even as unseasonably hot weather illustrates the threat from climate change caused by burning fossil fuels.
Soaring temperatures have prompted higher energy demand in recent weeks and left India facing a 25-million-tonne shortfall at a time when coal spot prices have skyrocketed since the start of the year....*****....Coal needs set to double
India needs a billion tonnes of coal annually to meet its current domestic demand.Most of its needs are met by domestic producers, with a record 777 million tonnes mined in the fiscal year to the end of March.
The shortfall is imported from countries like Indonesia, Australia and South Africa.
The government says it plans to increase domestic coal production to 1.2 billion tonnes in the next two years to support a post-pandemic economic recovery.
Despite a commitment to increase its renewable energy capacity to 175 gigawatts by 2022 and 500 gigawatts by 2030, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said Friday that India's coal needs are set to double by 2040....
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